Jobbová, Eva and McLeman, Robert and Crampsie, Arlene and Murphy, Conor and Ludlow, Francis and Hevesi, Celina and Sente, Laura and Horvath, Csaba (2023) Institutional Management and Planning for Droughts: A Comparison of Ireland and Ontario, Canada. Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 123B (2). pp. 67-84. ISSN 0791-7945

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Abstract

Severe drought conditions in 2018 prompted concerted efforts by Irish authorities to establish a formal planning process for drought risks as part of the wider national water management strategy. More than two decades had passed since Ireland had experienced a socioeconomically significant drought, but recently reconstructed long-term data have shown that drought is a much more frequent hazard here than previously thought. With climate change impacts likely to affect the temporal and spatial distribution of precipitation in coming decades, there is an ongoing need for further planning and preparation to reduce the vulnerability of the Irish water system to droughts. In this article we report results of a systematic comparison of Irish drought management plans and policies with those in southwestern Ontario, Canada, a region that shares many similar drought risk factors and management challenges but has longer established institutional practices for managing droughts. Key recommendations for Irish water managers emerging from this project include fostering a culture of water conservation among the Irish public; using catchments as the spatial unit for drought monitoring and management decisions; creation of standing drought management teams that involve and broaden key stakeholders and user groups; and further refining data collection to support planning for future challenges associated with climate change. Pursuing future opportunities for peer-to-peer learning between Irish water managers and their counterparts in other jurisdictions is a wider opportunity for developing best practices for drought management in the Irish context.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Supplementary materials for this article are available online here: http://muse.jhu.edu/resolve/199
Keywords:	Institutional Management; Planning for Droughts; Comparison; Ireland and Ontario; Canada;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Institutes > Irish Climate Analysis and Research Units, ICARUS
Item ID:	17522
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1353/bae.2023.a905271
Depositing User:	Conor Murphy
Date Deposited:	11 Sep 2023 13:20
Journal or Publication Title:	Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy
Publisher:	Royal Irish Academy
Refereed:	Yes
Funders:	Uisce Éireann, GRCA, OMNR, Irish Research Council (COALESCE/2019/43), European Research Council (Synergy grant agreement no. 951649).
URI:	Publisher
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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